Rumors

James Johnson! How scary could he potentially be? He doesn’t seem like a scary guy... When you’re a big, ass-kicking guy, you’re either: A) “Because I have a hammer, everything’s a nail,” or B) You understand it, and you don’t look for conflict. He seems like the latter—but how scary could he be? Rick Carlisle (half-jokingly): Yeah, we gotta be careful—I don’t know where this show goes out to, exactly. But he’s undefeated. He’s an undefeated mixed martial arts guy. I think he’s been in eight or ten matches, something like that. And you know—one time I heard somebody talking to him, like: “Don’t be starting stuff or whatever...” And he said to me: “Coach, in my discipline—we don’t start things, we finish things.” And so... that’s all I really needed to hear. If I even needed to hear anything at all about it. He’s a special guy, you know?

YouTube

Rick Carlisle: Look—losing Myles Turner is a significant loss for our team. The guy’s been a terrific player. He had a great season. And look, we were talking to them—or talking to them, meaning his agent—about him returning. And really, kind of out of nowhere, Milwaukee decided to waive Damian Lillard and stretch his contract—stretch his money out over whatever number of years you can do it by rule. And then they created space to sign Myles. I think what probably happened—and this is part of negotiation in any sport— A team will say: “Hey, look, we have this offer. It’s this much over this many years, but if we make this offer, we need to know that you’re going to take it and not shop it.” And so, I believe that’s probably what happened with Milwaukee. It was a number. It was a certain number of years. And they just jumped at it, and there was never a chance to counter. So—those things happen. And when they do, you just have to keep going.

YouTube

Rick Carlisle: I had a nice conversation with Myles the day after. Wished him the very, very best. It was a special relationship that I developed with him over four years. I mean, he played the best he’s ever played. One of the reasons was—he got to play his natural position full-time. And so, that was great for him.

YouTube

Tony East: Rick Carlisle, Jenny Boucek, Lloyd Pierce, Chad Buchanan, Ted Wu, and Kevin Pritchard all here for Pacers-Cavs. Much of the rest of the staff, too.

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Team president Kevin Pritchard suggested that the team, and ownership, were more than willing to go into the luxury tax to keep Turner, although he walked, and they didn't find out until the news was initially broken by ESPN. Rick Carlsile took the high road, not blaming Turner but rather the environment created by fierce negotiations. "I think what probably happened, and this is part of negotiation in any sport, a team will say, hey, look, we have this offer, it's this much over this many years. But if we make this offer, we need to know that you're gonna take it and not shop it," explained Carlisle on the Green Light podcast. "I believe that's what probably happened with Milwaukee. They just jumped at it, and there was never, there's never a chance to counter. Those things happen. And when they do, you just gotta keep going."

Yahoo! Sports

During his weekly radio interview Tuesday morning (YouTube link), Pacers coach Rick Carlisle dispelled any speculation that the team might be less inclined to re-sign Myles Turner after losing Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles, relays Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. There have been reports that owner Herb Simon would be willing to pay the luxury tax if it becomes necessary to reach a new deal with Turner. That was before Haliburton’s injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals that might sideline him for a full year, which figures to hamper Indiana’s chances to be competitive next season. However, Carlisle insists nothing has changed. “I don’t think it’s any secret that the franchise, at this particular moment, that that is the No. 1 priority,” he said of Turner. “I don’t know anything about money or numbers or years, or any of that kind of stuff, but Myles is a very important part of what we’ve done here, what we’ve been doing. He’s a very important part of the history of the franchise, certainly over the last decade. I know that will be a big topic. I’m not privy to every little conversation going on there, but Myles is a very important part of what we’re doing. That will be a big thing.”

Hoops Rumors

And importantly, Presti turned down all the offers he must have received for the young players who make the core of his excellent team. Who knows what incredible NBA players he could have received for Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams. Presti has a hardfought collection of players he likes. I heard from another team that was blown away that Presti wouldn’t even consider offers for tenth-man Kenrich Williams. The Pacers are similar. Rick Carlisle had a vision for Blur Ball and it dang near won them an NBA title. They spent years seeking out the right players to go around Tyrese Haliburton. The Raptors had a system that used Pascal Siakam one way, and they weren’t sure that made him a max player. The Pacers were like we know what do with that guy who never gets tired. The Knicks saw Obi Toppin’s flaws, the Pacers saw a big man who never stopped bouncing around the floor.

TrueHoop

Ben Golliver: Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle before NBA Finals Game 7 vs. Thunder: "I just saw a video that's probably going to go viral of some buses, open-top buses, presumably for the parade that are already painted with them as champions. That's all I'm thinking about right now."

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Coach Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers kept their season alive in a 108-91 win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, setting the stage for a best-of-7 finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The winner captures the 2025 NBA championship, which would be a franchise’s first for either squad. However, after both teams faced off in six consecutive contests, should fans expect any more surprises in Game 7? Well, Carlisle still has options. The Pacers’ head coach teased potential adjustments against the Thunder during his media availability ahead of the biggest game in franchise history. “There are more adjustments that can be made for sure. So, we’ll see”

Clutch Points

One of the critical adjustments Carlisle and the Pacers made in Game 6 was their defense on Thunder All-Star and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Instead of applying consistent pressure near the logo, the Pacers’ coverage sagged off before throwing constant double teams in and around the paint whenever SGA turned his head. The consistent pressure led to him tying a career-high eight turnovers. Carlisle and the Pacers will undoubtedly take with them the lessons learned throughout the NBA Finals. It’s what led them to the top of the stairs to a championship in Game 7. “One game. This is what it’s all about,” Carlisle said. “This is what you dream about growing up. This kind of opportunity. The opportunity to play a game like this is a great honor and a great privilege.

Clutch Points

Vincent Goodwill: Mark Daigneault on what it’s like to be across from Rick Carlisle for 7 games: “humbling”

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Rick Carlisle, for the record, saw Siakam’s rise from a mile away. Long before he came to the Pacers, league sources say Carlisle would routinely compliment Siakam’s game through backchannels in the kind of way that made the trade feel so much more welcoming when it went down. There was a mutual respect there, one that might just pay off in the form of an unlikely title when Sunday rolls around. “As you watch a guy’s career, as he ascends, coaches take note of the steps that players have had to take to get to where they are,” Carlisle said earlier in the series. “I always thought that the fact that he had to really earn it and that he had continued to get so much better — so much better — and appeared to have this humility about how he approached everything just made him very special.

New York Times

Scott Agness: Rick Carlisle: "This is the loudest I’ve ever heard Gainbridge. ... The crowd was absolutely tremendous."

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Vincent Goodwill: Pacers coach Rick Carlisle: “Tyrese is gonna play. He was strength tested at 5 pm and did very well. No minutes limit. We will monitor things very closely.”

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